Several years ago, I consolidated my student loans — Perkins loans, Stafford loans, all into one gooey loan ball. Since then, every few years, my student loans change servicers. At one time, I sent my payments to New York State. Then, Mississippi for a few years. For the past two years, they went to Pittsburgh.Continue reading “On Student Loan Absurdity”
Category Archives: Life
On the Sunday Feeling
Today I felt unnerved, even apprehensive. I couldn’t figure out why. I posted on Twitter that I felt “lonely,” but that couldn’t be it, surely? Then I realized that I hadn’t had a meaningful conversation with anyone in a day and a half. See, I don’t handle solitude well. It’s a weird personality quirk ofContinue reading “On the Sunday Feeling”
On Looking Ahead to Shore Leave
Shore Leave is four months away, and yesterday I started to brainstorm panel ideas for the convention. I scribbled fifteen ideas on a notepad — it was either that or pay attention to a discussion by Baltimore’s methheads about how a woman’s pelvis is made of sponge — and last night I pared the listContinue reading “On Looking Ahead to Shore Leave”
On the Podcasts I Listen To
Every morning at work, while I’m writing catalog copy or working on other projects, I listen to a number of podcasts, sometimes up to two or three hours worth of podcasts that will take me up through lunchtime or beyond. 🙂 So, what do I listen to? News PRI’s The World. An hourly news programContinue reading “On the Podcasts I Listen To”
On My Grandmother’s Cat
My grandmother’s cat is gone. Yes, my grandmother had a cat. He had no name. She called him many things. He was usually just “Kitty” or “Buddy” or “Little Guy.” My grandmother hated him and she loved him. She could scream at him for no reason at all, and then be deathly worried about himContinue reading “On My Grandmother’s Cat”
On Helping Sponsor an SPCA Walk
In about six weeks, my friends Natalie and Beau are doing a 3K walk with their dog Kaylee to help raise money for the SPCA of Wake County, North Carolina. The Wake SPCA is a No-Kill organization, and that takes money and resources that they have to receive from private individuals since they receive noContinue reading “On Helping Sponsor an SPCA Walk”
On Rewriting a Podcast Script
Three weeks ago I wrote the script for the introductory episode for the podcast I’m planning to launch later this spring. I made some revisions the next day — I realized I’d completely overlooked something crucial — printed it out a few days later… And then I let it sit, so I could come toContinue reading “On Rewriting a Podcast Script”
On the Week That Was
It’s been a week. Every month when the catalogs go to press, it’s a rougher week than usual. There’s last minute writing (often late night alcohol-fueled writing), long days at the office, and needless stress. This month, all of that was amped up to eleven. There were also spreadsheets to be entered into the CMS,Continue reading “On the Week That Was”
On 2011 In Review
January 1st. The start of a new year. A “turn the page” moment, a time when the slate is wiped clean and one can start fresh. That’s my feeling on every day, that the new day is a blank slate on which anything can be written, so it should be my feeling on the startContinue reading “On 2011 In Review”
On What I’ll Take Away from 2011
A few weeks ago I mailed out Christmas cards. It’s something I’ve done for about a decade now, mailing out cards to close friends and random strangers. (Last year, for instance, Harlan Ellison received a card from me. Since I’m writing this, it clearly didn’t displease him.) I usually have a “main” design that goesContinue reading “On What I’ll Take Away from 2011”